ABC Brings Back ‘The Wonderful World of Disney’ for Wednesday Night Movies

While the coronavirus pandemic is causing serious harm to movie theaters, movies themselves are having a resurgence during this time of social distancing and quarantine — at least on television. CBS has already brought back Sunday night movies in recent weeks; their airing of Raiders of the Lost Ark earlier this month averaged over five million viewers recently.

Now, ABC is following suit. The Hollywood Reportersays that ABC is reviving The Wonderful World of Disney as a weekly showcase of Disney movies. The series begins on Wednesday, May 20 and will run for at least the following three weeks. Here’s the lineup so far:

May 20:Moana

May 27:Thor: The Dark World

June 3:Up

June 10:Big Hero 6

As noted by THR, all four films are currently available for streaming (without commercials, no less) on Disney+.

Even before Disney purchased ABC in 1995, the channel’s relationship with the company goes back decades. Disney’s first ABC anthology series, Walt Disney’s Disneyland, premiered in 1954. The Wonderful World of Disney name didn’t get adopted by the show until 1969, but it’s the one most closely identified with it, and it’s been the only name the occasional series of movies (often made-for-TV Disney originals) has gone by since 1991.